Chloe Radcliffe Sold a Movie Before She Knew How to Write One

About this episode

Comedian Chloe Radcliffe gave up Target corporate for comedy club and has zero patience for people who can't say the word "birthmark" out loud. AND SOMEHOW managed to sell a movie before she really knew how to write one.

Jay sits down with stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and actress Chloe Radcliffe for a funny, candid conversation about what it takes to make it in comedy, why being an outsider might actually be an advantage, and learning to own the thing everyone else notices about you first.

Chloe talks about growing up with a prominent birthmark and how years of dealing with other people's reactions helped shape both her perspective and her comedy. She and Jay dig into why so many comedians seem to come from the outside looking in — and how developing a sense of humor can become both a defense mechanism and eventually a career.

She also tells the wild story of accidentally selling a movie to Columbia/Sony off a verbal pitch before she really understood screenwriting. Suddenly faced with actually writing the thing, Chloe headed to the library, started reading screenplays and screenwriting books, and eventually found inspiration in scripts ranging from Groundhog Day to Jurassic Park.

Chloe also opens up about the less funny side of the comedy world: bad auditions, bombing onstage, audiences that aren't always receptive to women, and an uncomfortable encounter with a male headliner that illustrates the calculations women — and other outsiders — sometimes have to make when power dynamics are stacked against them.

Plus, Chloe explains how ten years of competitive speech and debate quietly trained her for stand-up, why getting laid off from Target may have been one of the best things that happened to her career, what writing for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon taught her, and why she's determined to star in her own story rather than watch somebody else play "Chloe."

And somehow Jay and Chloe still find time for narcissism, hardcore crochet, shitty pop-country, Coldplay, and the possibility that maybe some people really are just boring.

It’s comedy-industry war stories, sharp cultural commentary, and two funny people figuring out why anyone would willingly choose a career in show business.Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience. Website: https://www.dontbealonewjk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontbealonewithjaykogen/https://www.instagram.com/jaykogen/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dont.be.alone.wit

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